Fabulous Sister-in-Law Chef Sandy is back!

She’s got a great recipe for a Prime Rib Roast (which we devoured at Christmastime — see photos) and Yorkshire Pudding.

This is a great idea for a wonderful Easter dinner. Seriously, it’s coming up. Follow her tips to the letter and you won’t go wrong!

That’s how I do it anyway.

Enjoy!

Prime Rib Roast and Yorkshire Pudding

Although traditionally thought of as a Christmas holiday time dish, I see no reason why not to make Yorkshire Pudding with a Prime Rib Roast for Easter.  It is a good way to use up some eggs that we are going to decorate, because my kids don’t like hard boiled eggs.  Here is my plan for the eggs:

Take the raw eggs required for the recipe and blow out the insides into a clean bowl.

1. Carefully punch a hole in each end of the egg with a sharp knife, and work the hole in the bottom to be about a ¼ inch in diameter.
2. Blow hard into the smaller hole to force the egg out into your clean bowl from the larger hole.
3. Rinse the eggs under running water, and then carefully bathe them in a bowl with about ¼ cup white vinegar and a few cups of water.
4. Take the egg shells out of the water, let them dry on paper towels and shake any water out of the inside.
5. To make sure they are really dry, let them sit out for a few hours before decorating with markers, stickers or whatever your imagination leads you to.  Glitter would be amazing.
6. To hang the eggs, there are two options:
   1. Use a fine ribbon threaded onto a tapestry needle and feed the ribbon straight thru the egg to the other side and tie a knot on the far side of the egg (usually the larger end of the egg looks better on the bottom.)  You can also put a large bead on the ribbon to use as a stop-knot.
   2. Wrap a fine thread around half of a toothpick or wooden match.  Feed the small piece of wood thru the small hole at the top of the egg and then shake it a little so that it sits perpendicular to the opening and will support the egg.
7. Hang from pretty any branches or window locks to enjoy.
8. These eggs, carefully treated, will last forever.  Keep the clean egg carton to put your finished creations in.

Of course Yorkshire Pudding is not really pudding, in the American sense.  More like a puffy bit of soufflé/bread made with beef drippings.  This is a very traditional accompaniment to a Rib Roast, probably due to the amount of drippings which do make themselves available with this dish.  Prepare the batter for the puddings using the recipe below.

The tricky thing about these puddings (or any soufflé type item) is the timing.  They are beautiful and showy when they are served immediately upon removal from the oven, but you don’t have a lot of wiggle room.  They will deflate and will be a disappointment if you have to hold them.  Have your other last minute things done and only put these in the oven when the roast is out of the oven and resting.  While the puddings bake, ice your glasses and pour your beverages.  Have the appetizer courses started and plan to have everyone at the table ready to enjoy their Prime Rib Roast and Yorkshire Puddings the moment they get out of the oven.  For a rare roast, count on serving about two hours after you start the roast.  For medium or more done, adjust your timing accordingly.

The Prime Rib Roast 101 with Yorkshire Pudding recipe below is courtesy of The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, First Edition.

For the pudding:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 large eggs

2 ½ cups milk

Sift together flour and salt.  Place in a large bowl; make a well and place the eggs in the center. Slowly whisk the eggs into the flour mixture until a smooth paste forms.  Gradually whisk in ½ cup milk and then the remaining 2 cups of milk.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

For the roast:

3# prime-rib roast, first cut, trimmed and tied, at room temperature (set out 2 hours before cooking)

2 tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

3 short ribs, tied

1 ½ cups dry red wine

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, with oven rack on the lowest level.  Rub the roast all over with the salt and pepper, trying to get an even coating.  Transfer to a heavy 13 x 16 metal roasting pan, arranging the meat fat side up, on top of the short ribs.  The ribs will act as a roasting pan and will flavor the drippings.

Cook 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 and continue cooking until an instant read thermometer reads 115 for rare.  The temperature of the roast will increase 10-15 degrees after removing from the oven, so keep this in mind if you want a different doneness.   For rare, this will take about 1 hour and 25 minutes.  Use a probe thermometer or check every 10 minutes after this point to insure you do not over cook.

Let the roast rest uncovered for 30 minutes in a warm spot.  Tenting the roast will cause the crust to get soggy. Return oven temperature to 425.

Pour fat and drippings into a fat separator or glass measuring cup, set aside to let fat separate from meat juices.  Put roasting pan over medium high heat and add red wine to deglaze the pan.  Cook about 6 minutes, until reduced by half.  Place a fine sieve over a medium bowl and strain the sauce into the bowl.  Do not clean the pan.

Making the Yorkshire Pudding:

Place ¼ cup of reserved fat from the roast into the roasting pan, and place it in the hot oven until very hot, about 5 minutes.  Remove the batter from the refrigerator and whisk well; quickly and carefully pour the batter into the hot pan and cook until the Yorkshire Pudding is crisp and golden, about 25 minutes.  Make sure it is nicely browned before removing it; it will deflate more quickly if it is not thoroughly cooked.  Cut each person a wedge of warm pudding with the crispy edge, which will help it hold its shape.  Transfer the red wine sauce to a gravy boat and serve with the Prime Rib Roast and Yorkshire Pudding.

Stay tuned tomorrow to find out what to do with those Prime Rib Roast leftovers. Your family will love you for it! – Dena

Super Chef Sandy is back today with a truly timely recipe chock-full of money- and time-saving tips.

It involves beef. Need I say more?

Does she rock or what?

Check it out . . .

Seems everywhere you go, from every corner of the Internet, newspaper and even at the local coffee shop people are talking about cutting back.  It’s enough to make you crazy, even if the downturn hasn’t hit you personally.  I was reading some magazines at the dentist’s office today and even some of the movie stars interviewed said they are cooking at home more and eating out less. 

What are you doing to reduce your food budget?  Seems many more people are cooking at home, and one of the questions I often get asked is how people can make their budget stretch farther and reduce the time and effort to cook meals.  And have some variety. 

4 days ago we had pot roast for dinner.  It was fabulous.  Two nights ago we had strip steaks, and they were delicious too.  We do enjoy our beef, but we had leftovers of both, not enough for a meal composed of either.  Rather than have an arm wrestling match over who gets what, or going out for takeout, here’s what I did:

Enchilada Steak Pie

About 1 pound of beef, cooked and chopped

1 cup enchilada sauce (your favorite jarred enchilada sauce)

1 cup leftover gravy (or just use more enchilada sauce)

1 cup frozen corn

1 fresh tomato, chopped

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese, mixed (I used 2% milk Kraft cheese), divided

1 package cornbread mix

1 egg (separate white from yolk)

1 egg white

½ cup milk

1 cup tortilla chips, crushed

Preheat oven to 400. Spray non-stick cooking spray onto sides of deep casserole dish or glass baking dish, then add beef, gravy (if desired), sauce and vegetables as desired.  Stir and top beef mixture with cheese.  Place meat mixture in oven while you prepare the cornbread (below) to get the meat and the dish hot. 

In a separate bowl, beat 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form.  In a small bowl, mix dry cornbread mix, egg yolk, milk and ½ cup cheese until combined.  You may add an additional 1 cup of vegetable to the cornbread mix, such as diced zucchini, more frozen corn, diced tomatoes or peppers for color.  Stir in ½ of beaten egg whites to lighten the mixture, and then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.  Gently spread this cornbread mixture over the meat mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes until cornbread is solid on top and beginning to brown.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with crushed chips and additional cheese.  Return to oven and bake until cornbread is cooked through, about an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with a green salad, maybe with some chopped avocado and tomato and a simple vinaigrette, some chips and hot sauce and voila — dinner (again!)

To make this meal even faster to put together, assemble all of the base ingredients the night before (as you clean up,) and just prepare the cornbread right before serving.  Prepare your salad while the casserole cooks and you will still have time to enjoy a cerveza or margarita while your family’s dinner cooks itself in the oven.  Don’t you just love casseroles?

So go ahead and enjoy cooking your favorite meals, especially when you can be creative and repurpose your protein.  Even those of you who claim not to like leftovers will be hard pressed to recognize them when they are so well disguised!  Who can argue with saving money and time in this day and age?

Kabobs are fantastic as a meal or even appetizers.

At our huge family shindig we set them out and let the people decide.

Kinda like a democracy. But not.

Here are Sandy’s thoughts on creating the perfect kabobs. We used tenderloin tips that were so, so tender. Pay close attention to Sandy’s tip about soaking the wooden skewers. Advice worth its weight in gold!

Tenderloin Kabobs

One of the ways to save money while you are eating great is to maximize your usage of your groceries.  Although perhaps an obvious point, take it to the extreme.  Buy a great cut of meat like a whole tenderloin.  To insure even cooking, you will want the piece to be symmetrical, which because it is a natural product, means you will have to trim off the ‘tail’ end.  And if you have access to a wholesale tenderloin, you will also trim the ‘chain’ meat.  What to do with all of these trimmings?  Have a great ‘second’ meal with your delicious meat – make kabobs!  Kabob-ing also stretches your budget by adding lower cost items (veggies) and decreasing the portion size of the meat. 

Kabobs also work with less tender cuts of meat, but you will have to marinate the meat overnight to make it tender.  Kabobs made with tenderloin tips are quick and easy to put together, and any marinating should be brief and just to enhance flavor.  An important tip if you are using wooden skewers – SOAK them for about ½ hour in water before you skewer anything with them – lay them in a 9×13 pan and just cover with water before you start prepping anything else.  If you don’t soak them, they will burn and disintegrate on the grill and all of your subsequent work will be wasted – still tasty, but not so pretty.

Tenderloin Kabobs

For 4 People

1# Tenderloin Tips or Sirloin

Vegetables, including sweet onion, garlic cloves, multi-colored bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini or corn on the cob would also be tasty and pretty. Also possible would be par cooked root vegetables, such as red potatoes or carrots.

Cut the meat into about 1 in chunks.  Season the meat well with salt, pepper, garlic and/or onion powder or your favorite steak seasoning.  Cut the vegetables into appropriate sized chunks, probably a little larger than the meat.  If you are using red potatoes or carrots, cook them briefly in boiling water until they can be just pierced with the sharp tip of a knife.  Toss all of your vegetables in a large bowl with a few tablespoons of oil, olive or your favorite, and season well with your favorite seasonings.  There is no rule for how to skewer the shish kabobs, but variety is always pretty.  Even people who may not eat the red peppers or onions still may appreciate how they look on the skewer and how they season the meat as it all cooks together. 

Cook the skewers over a medium high grill until they reach your level of desired doneness.

Serve with a rice pilaf.

If you care to marinate the meat, here is a quick recipe:

1 cup red wine

½ cup fresh herbs

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1-3 cloves fresh chopped garlic (1-2 tsp)

Freshly ground pepper

Combine the ingredients, and pour into quart sized zip bag. Add meat, seal and remove air and refrigerate up to 2 hours, turning every 20 minutes.